“You’re dumb.”

“Yah.” Seulgi pouted. “Is that any way to talk to your unnie?”

Wendy shrugged. “Well, she’s not wrong, Seulgi. You are being dumb.”

“I don’t expect you guys to understand.” Seulgi avoided their gazes. “It’s not like you heard what horrible things they said.”

“So tell us.” Joy stared at Seulgi determinedly. “Make us understand how you came to this conclusion.. how you were able to just throw a perf—”

“Joy-ah.” Wendy warned. “Maybe we should let Seulgi explain first.”

Seulgi just shook her head. “I know I hurt her.. But out of all people, Joohyun-unnie should understand the most. Months before, she was that one who kept repeating all the reasons why we shouldn’t be together. When we got called up for that meeting, all those reasons were shoved down our throats, so I don’t get why she still wants us to be together.. we knew this would happen, she knew this would happen.. this is why she didn’t want us to be together, so really, I don’t get why—”

“It’s because she loves you!” Joy said impatiently. “It’s because she’s willing to risk it all for you. That’s how much she loves your dumb !”

Wendy was about to interject but Joy waved her hand. “I know, I know. I’m overstepping. I’m sorry, but you know I’m not one to sugarcoat things.”

“I’m doing this for you guys too, you know.” Seulgi stared at the floor. “Again, we’re real sorry that the comeback had to be pushed back because of—”

This time, it was Wendy who cut her off. “Nonsense. While we may not truly understand your decision to end things with Joohyun-unnie, what we can do is support it and accept it. After all, it’s your life. Your relationship. And I don’t want you guys blaming yourselves for the delay. This isn’t your fault.”

“I just don’t want to let you guys down..”

“Enough of that pouting!” Joy pinched her member’s side. “Let’s just be happy that Wendy unnie’s solo is finally here. I swear, if the company debuts yet another boy grou—”

“HEY.” Wendy and Seulgi said in unison.

Joy just rolled her eyes at the two older girls. “Good grief, unnies. You guys are loyal to a fault.”

They all laughed at that. It was the first time Seulgi has truly smiled in weeks.

“Now back to packing!”

“So you’re really not gonna spill what happened?” Yeri prompted.

Irene sighed. “What’s there to spill? They asked us to break up, I didn’t want to, but apparently, Seulgi did. End of story.”

“What did the higher ups tell you?”

Irene just stared at her. Yeri quickly put her hands up. “All right, all right,” She backtracked. “Why did you just accept it? Why didn't you try to talk it out?”

“The management? Or Seulgi?”

“I don’t care about those asshats.” Irene glared at Yeri and the latter smiled cheekily in return. “I’m just kidding. Seulgi-unnie. Why didn't you try to ask Seulgi-unnie to work it out?”

Irene sighed again. “I’m not the type of person who begs. I said that I didn’t want to break up, but she insisted that she couldn’t do it anymore. If she doesn’t want to be with me anymore, so be it.”

Yeri let out a slow breath. “I just didn’t think—”

“That she would be the one to end it?” Irene chuckled. “Why, did you think I’d be the first one to do it?”

“I didn’t think she’d give up this easily.” Yeri stared at Irene. “To be honest, once you revealed that you were finally together, I knew you won’t let anyone get in the way of you two. I mean, everyone knew that this could happen. That the company would try to tear you two apart. In fact, isn’t this one of the main reasons why you didn’t want to start things with Seulgi-unnie in the first place?”

Irene just nodded.

“Well, the fact that you went and tried to start a relationship with unnie just means that you were willing to fight for it. To move heaven and earth for her.” Yeri shrugged. “I guess I kind of expected the same for Seulgi-unnie. I mean, she was the one who kept pushing that you guys try, or whatever.”

Irene stared at Yeri suspiciously.

“All right, all right!” Yeri blushed slightly before she let out a laugh. “We were eavesdropping on your conversation in the bathroom all those months ago.”

“Moving on,” Yeri added quickly. “The question I have to ask is this: why didn’t you try to fight?”

“I told you,” Irene said in a low voice. “I don’t beg.”

“That’s not what I asked.” Yeri pressed on.

“I don’t expect you to understand.” Irene avoided the maknae’s piercing stare. “It’s not like—”

“It’s not like what? Like I haven’t had my heart broken before?” Yeri laughed dryly. “Come on, Joohyun-unnie. It’s me.”

Irene shook her head. “Right. How is she, by the way? I heard—”

“I don’t want to talk about her.” Yeri simply answered.

“Fine.” Irene conceded. “I lost the will to fight.”

Yeri stayed quiet, gently urging Irene to continue.

“It’s just..” Irene sighed. “I didn’t think she’d be able to do this to me. I wanted to fight for her. I didn’t want us to end. Not now. Not when I’m finally happy. I waited for this moment for more than a decade, I tried to repress my feelings; I tried to push it down. But my love for Seulgi just grew. I’ve been conflicted for longer than I could remember. Now.. now that we’re together, I finally knew how it felt to truly love and be loved. To give yourself to someone completely, to be ready to face anything and everything for the one you love.” Irene took a deep breath. “I am finally doing something for me. I love her so much. I’m ready to risk it all. And then she suddenly decides that she doesn’t want to do the same.”

Irene took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Yerim-ah. I shouldn’t have unloaded on you like that, I—”

“It’s alright.” Yeri fished out a handkerchief from her bag. “Here.”

“What’s this for?”

“You’re crying.”

Irene softly touched her cheek and was surprised to discover that it was wet. “I.. I'm sorry.”

“Stop apologizing, unnie.” Yeri smiled. “Let us take care of you for once.”

Irene quickly wiped her tears away. “I wasn’t crying—I think. I just got something in my eye.”

“If you say so.” Yeri shrugged. “But I’m going to tell you something and it’s going to make you cry.”

Yeri fidgeted with her phone, unsure if she should continue. “Well.. when Seulgi-unnie and I first started to look for our own place..”

Irene in a breath as she remembered that Seulgi will be leaving the dorm to live at her own place in a couple of days.

“She originally wanted to ask you to move in with her.” Yeri finally managed to say. “She wanted you to have your own place to yourselves, so you can live somewhat normal lives when you’re at home, like regular couples.”

“She picked out a place that’s close to the dorm so you guys can still come and visit the rest whenever you wanted. The last time we checked it out, she was even pointing out excitedly where your things would be. We guessed what kind of interior design you’d want. I told her she should be asking you these kinds of stuff but she said she wanted to surprise you.”

Irene said nothing.

“You would’ve loved it too,” Yeri continued. “It seemed like a cozy place. It would’ve been perfect. She was looking forward to coming home to your own place. But I guess.. I guess she decided to live alone after all.”

“She decided..” Irene repeated.

Then the wall that she had been steadily putting up came crashing down.

Irene cried her eyes out in Yeri’s arms. Not too long ago, it was the eldest member quietly pacifying the youngest as she bared her soul out after a heartbreak.

When Irene was finally calm enough to sit up, she gave the maknae one last hug. “Thank you, Yerim-ah. I didn’t realize how much I needed this.”

“It’s the least I could do.” Yeri chuckled. “I remember bawling my eyes out too when I experienced my first break up.”

“And look at you now.” Irene smiled.

Yeri nodded. “And now, I have moved on for the better.”

Irene shrugged. “And I’ve finally accepted that Seulgi and I are truly over.”

They sat there in silence for several minutes, both trying and failing to convince themselves that what they said was true.